Human trafficking bigger than drugs or cattle smuggling: Assam CM

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Friday has said that human trafficking was a bigger issue than drugs and cattle smuggling. He said at least 107 persons including women and children have been rescued from various places of the country and brought back to the state since he took charge as the CM of the state.

“Assam Police for the past few days had been working on human trafficking. The way we had started a drive against drugs and cattle smuggling, another focus area was human trafficking. Since the time, I took over the charge, at least 107 persons including children and women were rescued by state police. It only means that thousands of our children and women are being trafficked annually. It’s bigger than cattle smuggling and drugs trafficking.”

Talking on the sidelines of an interaction with the 42 victims of human trafficking rescued by Chirang Police from Sikkim, the Chief Minister said, “These children were lured by two people into travelling to Sikkim in the name of providing education.

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However, they were being employed as domestic help instead. The youngest among the group is a girl of 9 years. These children are from basically Runikhata, Santipur, Aiphuali, and Datgiri situated along the Indo-Bhutan border.

BTC Chief Promod Boro, Special DGP Bishnoi and SP Gaurav Upaddhay assisted in the operation.”

The Assam government soon will come up with a rehabilitation policy for the rescued victims of human trafficking said Sarma.

“A few days back we have rescued nine girls from Kerala. All of them were taken there in the pretext of providing jobs but were pushed into prostitution. We have also rescued a mother and child from a brothel in Patna recently too. Most of them became a victim of human trafficking because of poverty. So there has to be a proper policy to rehabilitate them and to provide education to the children rescued,” the CM added.

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Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, who is in the state to take part in the All North East Chief Minister’s Meet in Shillong on Saturday, praised Assam police for the successful operation.

Talking to reporters in Kokrajhar district on Friday, he said, “I thank Assam Police for keeping a tab on people coming to and going from the state. Recently, the Sikkim Assembly has decided to make it mandatory to register people coming to the state for jobs. This would help us to know if any under-aged children are being used as domestic help and other nefarious activities.”

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